This in-depth discussion is a collaboration between the social enterprise consultancy Amplifier Collective and Travellers Aid, experts in delivering services to people who face travel-related challenges. The panel discussion centres around accessibility in the city and the deeper dialogue around the real challenges many in our community face navigating Melbourne, while exploring progress made and new initiatives which could help everyone to feel more at home in their hometown.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, Country is the key to identity and spirituality. It is every living thing. In these yarns with local and visiting artists, we’ll explore the meaning of every living thing and its centrality to art practice for First Nations people. Join our esteemed lineup of cultural leaders and artists including host Leila Gurruwiwi, with panellists Paula Savage, Kim Ah Sam, and Luke Currie Richardson. The two talks continue MPavilion’s long-running partnership with Agency, an organisation that acts as a catalyst for connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, Country is the key to identity and spirituality. It is every living thing. In these yarns with local and visiting artists, we’ll explore the meaning of every living thing and its centrality to art practice for First Nations people. Join our esteemed lineup of cultural leaders and artists including host Leila Gurruwiwi, with facilitator Mayatili Marika, and panellists Nina Fitzgerald and Shahn Stewart. The two talks continue MPavilion’s long-running partnership with Agency, an organisation that acts as a catalyst for connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Explore the pitfalls and possibilities between tech, humans, and the planet with experts David Stringer (Bloomberg), Chris Speed (RMIT), Gemma Baxter (MAVlab), Joe Glesta (Climasens), Theodore Galanos (Aurecon; Infraredcity.ai), and Vanessa Toholka (Byte Into IT). Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Learn about the secret life of ants and the art of science communication in this discussion led by Museums Victoria Research Institute expert entomologists Dr Ken Walker and Simon Hinkley, with Melbourne Museum’s Antopia exhibition producer Jillian Clark.

Tune in to BVN’s principal Bill Dowzer as he charts the evolution of their New York-born Re-ply project, followed by a discussion with Professor Kerstin Thompson (KTA), and Anna Jankovic (Simulaa), who explore how similarly responsive urban initiatives can produce tangible economic and social benefits here – and wherever cities value vibrant street life.

Listen in on this brains trust with Urban Design Forum, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, and VicHealth to help re-centre nature and improve neighbourhood health. Public health experts Jenny Veitch (Deakin), Georgina de Beaujeu (Deakin; Tract Consulting), and Professor Hannah Badland (RMIT) present their research ahead of a long-table workshop.

An interactive yarn exploring earth, sound, and touch through Indigenous design and knowledge systems. How do we engage with earth, sound, and touch to deepen our connection to the environment? In our second BLAKitecture forum, audiences gathered around Bradley Kerr (Windsor Kerr), Clarence Slockee (Gardening Australia), Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO, and Kaylie Salvatori (Country Oriented Landscape Architecture) for an interactive yarn exploring sensory engagement and design grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems. Linked to the Australian Pavilion for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, this conversation considers our relationships with all living things and reflect on “home” as a convergence of memory, sensation, and future. Led by a Creative Sphere of First Nations architects and practitioners, HOME challenges conventional architectural practices and fosters deep connections through sustainable, culturally rich design and programming.

Zoom into the multifaceted roles of microbes with help from a mycologist. It’s easy to forget that billions of microbial lifeforms are living beyond sight, helping ecosystems thrive and communicate. Danish Australian artists Rhoda Ting and Mikkel Bojesen give these tiny lifeforms some overdue time in the spotlight. Their collaborative sculptural installation 'Microbial Dwellings' invited us to explore these hidden helpers around the pavilion. In this talk, mycologist Tom May from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, unpacks the secrets of what has grown and offer fascinating insights into the microbes we cohabit with. What do these tiny organisms do, and why are they so essential?

Find pressure-free ways into mindful living and life-goal kicking with Chris Cheers. What even is mindfulness? How can we find space for it in our day, rather than feel like it’s another thing we aren’t doing? This short, interactive workshop is about redefining mindfulness so it tools up your composure, rather than feeling like something you have to add. Led by Chris Cheers, a psychologist, educator and author of the best-selling book 'The New Rulebook: Notes from a psychologist to help redefine the way you live'. Chris is passionate about creating accessible, safe spaces where people become empowered to reach their life goals. He’s here to help you shake off the anxiety of obligation and start the day feeling grounded.

Get beneath the surface of Reef Design Lab’s ecological habitats. For Every Living Thing, Reef Design Lab took to the pond to install one of their Modular Artificial Reef Structures—a tower of cascading nodules that’s designed to encourage the restoration of marine life. Tune in and hear from Alex Goad of Reef Design Lab and marine ecologist Dr Brendan Lanham as they discuss approaches to designing ecological habitats for biodiversity. Moderated by neighbourhood wildlife scientist Dr Kylie Soanes, this conversation explores the intersections of art, design, education, and sustainability—and how we can all help shape the future of superorganisms.

An interactive yarn with the creative team behind 'Home' as they prepare for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Celebrate the opportunities of understanding and shared perspectives on what ‘home’ means with Bradley Kerr and the 2025 Creative Directors of the Venice Architecture Biennale's Australian Pavilion as they share insights on their exhibition HOME.  HOME will present an immersive, culturally rich experience grounded in Indigenous Knowledge systems and architectural innovation. “HOME is a generous and timely offering to the Venice Architecture Biennale that will welcome visitors as active contributors and participants. Through design, enlivened public conversations, cultural practice and ceremony, we will facilitate a shared and collective experience that resonates with international audiences and recognises the criticality of First Nations knowledge.”- Emily McDaniel, Co-Creative Director   MPavilion’s annual BLAKitecture forum aims to centralise Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, and the present and future states of our built environments. The eighth BLAKitecture series features three talks responding to our program series, curated by Bradley Kerr, a member of MPavilion’s Curatorial Collective.  HOME is supported by the Australian Institute of Architects, Brickworks and Creative Australia.

A diverse, inquisitive panel of experts across design, anthropology and education asks how design can reimagine home for our aging population. Between now and 2050, Australia's elderly population is predicted to more than double, with the population over 85 set to quadruple. As we age, our requisites of the home evolve. While our need for belonging, comfort and connection is continuous, as our physical needs change, the site of our most fundamental necessities becomes more concentrated.  How can we ensure that the home is not something that exacerbates, impairs, overwhelms or endangers, while still enabling our older people the autonomy and dignity of risk that isn’t always available in institutional models of care? How can good design help our older people stay for as long as possible with the greatest quality of life? What do our current urban models say about our cultural attitudes towards ageing?  These are the questions are tackled by an expert panel featuring architect Ana Sá, landscape architect and horticultural consultant Tim Mitchell, design anthropologist Miguel Gomez Hernandez, and independent living resident Maggie Moran, guided by moderator Emily Wong (Landscape Architecture Australia) through a free flow of ideas and audience Q&A.  This definition of ‘home’ blends physical, emotional, aesthetic, and social elements into a cohesive whole. They consider the role that design can play – from garden design to smart technology, to architecture and spatial design – in shaping the home as we age.   It’s a curious, wide-ranging social and architectural critique that looks to a future where design can help radically improve the wellbeing of our older people. Which, after all, is something we all want to be able to look forward to.

A thought-provoking talk that sees heritage from new, open-ended angles. Questions of heritage can be fraught. This event takes a wide-ranging, laser-mapped view, led by Belgrade-born architect, researcher and curator Milica Božić. This talk focuses on the intertwined First Nations, colonial, and natural heritage embedded in Queen Victoria Gardens. The discussion features heritage experts from different backgrounds, bringing together Western and Indigenous architectural and cultural perspectives—allowing alternate forms of heritage to emerge.

A pond-side podcast about biracial belonging in the arts, recorded live. Maria Birch-Morunga is a Māori/Pakehā facilitator and craft queen. Kate Robinson is an Iranian/Australian family violence lawyer and artist. Together, they’re two biracial women who are endlessly fascinated by the juggling of cultures, identities, and family gossip that can come with being mixed-race. Their podcast Being Biracial is filled with heartfelt and funny interviews with guests discussing the dualities of living across multiple cultures. And now they’re bringing the pod to MPavilion for a special live recording.  Joining them for a chat is MPavilion Season 11 collaborator Joel Bray, a proud Wiradjuri dancer and performance-maker, and Scotty So, a Melbourne/Narrm-based artist who works across media, including ceramic, painting, photography, sculptures, site-responsive installation, videos, and performance. As the Artistic Director of Joel Bray Dance, Joel Bray makes his work in collaboration with Elders, Community and Country, often in unorthodox spaces that draw on his Wiradjuri heritage. Using humour, Joel engages audiences in rituals that touch on themes of sex, history, trauma, and healing.  Driven by the thrill of camp, Scotty So explores the often-contradictory relationship between humour and sincerity, creating a scene of para-fiction through the manipulation of found objects and existing imageries in the living experience. Born and raised in Hong Kong, So’s work has been shown in Australia, China, Hong Kong, and Europe, including the National Gallery of Victoria. Scotty So is represented by MARS Gallery in Australia. This is a celebration of shared stories and a peek behind the concrete walls into the work that makes up the Home Ground program.

Country holds embedded memory and narrative of place; landscapes hold knowledge, and we know that there is an interconnectedness of Country (Sky, Land, Water, Below). This architecture of Country is how we understand place. First Peoples in the industry share a commonality in appreciating and understanding that we are always on somebody else’s Country, and the work that we do primarily revolves around shaping places. So, how do we understand and respect the Country that we’re shaping? How has the Architecture of Country shaped the built environment, and where can we head if we all take the opportunity to care?

Our everyday lives are touched by the places that surround us, affecting how we understand, interact with and feel about our cities. This session in the City of Melbourne's Excellent City Series explores how conscious design practice can facilitate connection and a sense of belonging with the built environment, in turn creating culturally safe spaces. With Emily McDaniel, Jennifer Tran, Fatuma Ndenzako and Aretha Brown

Melbourne’s water story has been irrevocably shaped by progress and the impacts of our changing climate. This session from the City of Melbourne’s Excellent City Series explores how original, creative approaches and traditional knowledge are delivering innovative outcomes for improving our urban water environment. With Kirsten Bauer, Jefa Greenaway, Luke Cunningham and Sara Lloyd

From storage to scissors, egg cups to sake cups – good design is everywhere in Japan. Sori Yanagi, Riki Watanabe, and Masahiro Mori led the postwar design boom – renowned for their technical skill, application of materials, and simple design aesthetics. They created iconic household objects for everyone’s – everyday use. Recorded live at MPavilion 10 by Tadao Ando in partnership with the Robin Boyd Foundation, this talk is hosted by Japanese guide book author Michelle Mackintosh and features Jane Sawyer, Jenna Lee and Zenta Tanaka. Together they discuss the benefits of embracing good design in daily life, what makes Japanese design iconic, and how they have embraced Japanese design and craft philosophies in their practices. Below are links to some of the objects and projects discussed in this wide-ranging conversation. The Usu-hari (thin glass) Glass https://cibi.com.au/products/usuharitumbermfortwo-1 The Cibi Glass for kids + adults https://cibi.com.au/collections/drinkware/products/cibiglass1-1 Everyday Takeaway Cup – collaboration between Jane Sawyer / Slow Clay Centre x Cibi https://cibi.com.au/products/cibi-everyday-takeaway-cup Jenna Lee's collaboration with Kojima Shoten - https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/melbourne-now/artists/jenna-lee-and-kojima-shoten/ Sori Yanagi Kettle https://cibi.com.au/collections/brands-sori-yanagi/products/kettlematte

Polyglot Theatre and guests come together for a panel discussion on the joys of engaging children and families in arts experiences that connect to nature and natural environments. From its large-scale touring theatre works to small playful interventions, Polyglot has increased its focus on the way nature and sustainability feed into the organisation and its members’ arts practice. Exploring the intersection of this mindset and the built environment allows for creative adaptations and site-specific activations.